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30 July, 2007

It has been a truly beautiful week-end, and the plants that seem to grow on every horizontal surface in our lounge, as VL and Iwii will testify, are thriving in the bright sunshine after the recent rains:

In the spirit of our fortunately verdant surroundings, we have been enjoying various tieguanyin so kindly provided by Chabei's JMcM [see earlier]. Today's notes comprise two of our favourite encounters.

The wenxiangbei lasts for whole minutes, and is a big, bold sweetness. A long, creamy flavour sits in the mouth - just like a serious farmhouse cream. This is less about being floral in the nose.

In the second infusion, and for the remainder, a solid, nutty flavour comes to the fore, and it takes on a certain "rock-like" quality of yancha [rock tea], with its mineral, charcoal edge.

"It tastes more and more roasted." Though the roast is not dominating, the way a brashly roasted Wuyiyancha might be, it becomes stronger and more noticeable - fortunately not pushing the wulong flavour out too far.

Wet leaves:
The leaves are bursting to escape their small volume. They are 3cm whole leaves, with a few stems. It is a decent grade, if not the finest, but no sign of the unorthodox roasting can be seen in the leaves.

Overall:
A curiosity indeed, being a pleasant wulong sent more to the yancha "Dark Side", without being "nongxiang".

A ceaseless writer of Haiku, some more Zen than others, this one was part of the recent 114 that I wrote when in south-west China, and fits the mood well:

Edible flowers I know of (and sometimes include in salads when I find them growing) include: daylillies, violets, nasturtiums, chrysanthemums. A search on "edible orchids" shows that most kinds are edible, though not particularly tasty (news to me who thought most orchids were poisonous). Of course it is the smell, and not the taste that is being compared, but you knew that.

Actually, nearly everyone knows what one kind of orchid tastes like- Real Vanilla is a product of the Vanilla orchid. Vanilla extract is made from the seed and pods, but the flowers also smell like vanilla.

Lychee... one of the previously-familiar words that, I recently found out, is a transliteration into English from the original Chinese: it's "lizhi"! I was so familiar with the word, that I didn't think to question its origins. Live and learn. :)